In this show we look at how professionals working in mental health relate to their own experiences of distress. Can a worker’s own history of difficulties enrich their practice? Or are other factors more important? Should a worker’s own experiences be taboo when talking to service users, or It is helpful for a professional to be open about things that have happened to them?
TAG: John McGowan (Author)
Saying Donald Trump is mentally ill is unethical, inaccurate and unhelpful
John McGowan asks if it’s OK for mental health professionals to give opinions on Donald Trump’s mental health?
Someone asked me what I thought about Donald Trump the other day. I was about to give a fairly obvious reply when the earnest tone and questioning look made me pause. As the penny dropped I realised I wasn’t being asked my opinion as a person, I was being asked what I thought as a psychologist. Did I think the US president was mentally unwell and thus not fit for the office he holds?
Podcast: It’s not over till the Queen’s Speech (and maybe not even then)
John McGowan, Angela Gilchrist and Rachel Terry discuss the 2017 UK General Election campaign and its uncertain aftermath.
In this edition our panel offer some thoughts on the 2017 General Election: called by the Prime Minister in the hope of winning a large majority, but offering a far less clear result. To help us along we have an interview with our colleague Dr Mark Bennister, Reader in Politics and a specialist in political leadership. Mark talks us through the campaign, analyses the leaders’ performances and assesses the current situation with a hung Parliament. We talk about how psychological theories may shed some light on how people voted. We also discuss populism, rationality, the strong feelings raised on all sides and whether any politician can get elected if they tell us we’ll lose out.
Podcast: Against Your Will – Compulsory Powers in the Mental Health System
John McGowan, Anne Cooke, Angela Gilchrist, Rachel Terry and Emma Rye discuss involuntary treatment in mental health.
In this edition we discuss the compulsory powers available in the mental health system in the UK These include the Mental Capacity Act and the Mental Health Act (MHA). The regular panel is joined by Emma Rye, a Clinical Psychologist working in in the field of learning disabilities. Emma is currently in training to take up the role of a ‘Responsible Clinician’ under the MHA. We also have interviews with Dr Matthew Debenham, an NHS psychiatrist, and with service users Rai Waddingham and Raza Griffiths, both of whom discuss how compulsory powers were used in their own treatment.
Podcast: Does poverty harm your mental health?
John McGowan, Anne Cooke, Angela Gilchrist and Rachel Terry discuss the effects of poverty and inequality on happiness and mental health.
In this discussion we focus on two reports. The first is forthcoming book from a London School of Economics group, involving Lord Richard Layard, and titled ‘The Origins of Happiness’. Even though this hasn’t yet been released, it has prompted a great deal of debate: especially with the conclusion that poverty and inequality may be less important than good mental health for human happiness. The second document is a major report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and written by the Mental Health Foundation’s Iris Elliot. This offers what may be a less surprising conclusion: that poverty and inequality are intimately bound up in the development of mental health problems. Links to the reports and other pieces related to the discussion are listed below.